r/sonomacounty

If you have seen Tamar Bland please reach out. Thank you so much!

it was a beautiful day today in the intertidal zone foraging for seaweed and experiencing the interconnection of life in the tide pools. our last classes of the season are 7/31 & 8/14. we hope you can join us! sign up: www.forkinthepath.org/schedule

This is the freeway overpass area of the SMART trail. It’s been up for several days.

Petaluma has a problem. The entire last year that I waited in the Kenilworth Junior High car pickup line, I heard countless children shouting this word, as well as doing N*zi salutes.

Last Christmas, local businessman and former Harlem Globetrotter had his car vandalized with racial slurs:

https://abc7news.com/post/petaluma-police-investigating-former-harlem-globetrotter-william-bullard-says-car-vandalized-racial-slurs/18284464/

This is when I met with the administrators at Kenilworth and asked them to hold an assembly, or implement a program addressing racism, they declined. They said they did one two years ago. I spoke with the district, and spoke at a city council meeting on the matter, to no avail.

Then I did some digging and discovered that Petaluma was a sundown town until 1970, extremely odd for a non-southern town. That sentiment has lingered.

https://petalumahistorian.com/petalumas-days-as-a-sundown-town/

I love this town because it IS so old timey- an accessible respite from city life—but it’s irresponsible to live here and bury our heads in the sand. The black population here is less than 2%, and I don’t wonder why. For inclusive and liberal as this town purports to be, it’s sometimes hard to believe. It tough to feel welcome when this hateful word has been up for several days; on one of the most popular walking trails, in full view of the police and SMART trucks which drive that trail daily. Many people have seen it, yet it remains.

What are we going to do?

EDIT: rode past a couple of hours ago and they painted over the ‘black is beautiful’ with a heart around it, which was up for less than 12 hours. Good to know the city’s priorities are in check when it comes to removing offensive graffiti 😆

First of all, good on the Tuesday Night Market organizers for firing Big O And Company for the homophobic nonsense spewed by Mooneyhan.

Second of all, good on Murphy’s Irish Pub & Restaurant for firing them as well.

Third of all, Mooneyhan defending his homophobic nonsense by claiming that it's “nothing personal …. Just my beliefs” is crashingly stupid. Is Mooneyhan saying that his personal beliefs... aren't personal? Does he think that personally telling people that they don't belong in Sonoma and are going to hell isn't personal to them?

What a buffoon.

EDIT: Here's the article text.

"A new local band will take to the stage during Sonoma’s Tuesday Night Market this week following a last-minute change in the entertainment lineup in response to public outrage over a homophobic comment made on social media by the leader of the previously scheduled local band.

The Humdinger Band will now perform, following the city’s cancellation of Big O and Company, during the June 30 Tuesday Night Market, which takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. on Sonoma Plaza.

The change was made on Friday, June 26, in response to requests from members of the public who were upset by a homophobic post in the comments section of an article on The Sonoma Index-Tribune’s Facebook page about the June 20 “Pride Dinner & Drag Gala” at the Sonoma Community Center.

According to screenshots of his remark, Oscar A. Mooneyhan, the leader of Big O and Company, wrote, ” … there’s a place in hell waiting for them. This would never happen back in our day here. They would go to (San Francisco).”

In a news release issued Monday afternoon, June 29, officials said Sonoma City Council supports Sonoma’s LGBTQ+ community and, earlier in the month, proclaimed June as Pride Month.

“After becoming aware of public comments made by the scheduled performer that were directed at members of the LGBTQ+ community, the city and Tuesday Night Market management carefully considered the situation,” according to the city’s news release. “We also heard from many community members and organizations who expressed concern, including concerns that the performance could lead to confrontations that would detract from the safe, welcoming environment we strive to provide at city-sponsored events.

“For those reasons, the decision was made to change this week’s musical lineup. The city is dedicated to ensuring that Sonoma Plaza remains a welcoming place where people of all ages and backgrounds can gather, enjoy live music, support local businesses, and connect with one another.”

Mayor Ron Wellander added, “The city of Sonoma is committed to fostering a community where everyone feels safe, welcome, and included. The decision to find a different musical act reflects that commitment.”

Cat Smith, the Sonoma Community Center’s marketing director, who directly replied to Mooneyhan’s post on Facebook, told him she was “disappointed” by what he’d written. She added that it “suggests (people in the LGBTQ+ community) don’t deserve the right to belong as everyone else.”

“Even from a religious perspective, declaring who is ‘going to hell’ is not something human beings are supposed to decide for others. You don’t have to personally understand someone’s identity to treat them with dignity and respect,” she told Mooneyhan. ” A strong community isn’t built by pushing people out. It’s built by making sure everyone can live safely and honestly within it.”

In response, Mooneyhan, a Sonoma native who is well-known in the local music scene, called Smith “my friend of many years,” and said his words were “nothing personal …. Just my beliefs.”

Smith, on Monday, said she had been working with Sonoma Valley Pride leaders and with Wake Up Sonoma on events to celebrate June Pride Month.

“We have worked so hard as a community to make this month welcoming, accessible, and safe for all,” she said. “Having the month close with someone who so publicly dismissed an entire population of our community would have been not only a disappointment but also detrimental to the progress our city has made.”

Smith and a number of other members of the public contacted city officials about Mooneyhan’s remarks.

Lisa Storment, president of Wake Up Sonoma, a local nonprofit grassroots advocacy group based in Sonoma, was also one of the people who contacted the city about the comment.

Reached Monday, she pointed to the Trump administration’s attempts to reject or diminish diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility protocols in federal agencies and other governmental bodies.

“It is very important for local communities to pushback against that stance,” she said. “While people have the right to believe whatever they want to believe, we — as a community — don’t need to support the idea that being non-inclusive is who we are.”

Mooneyhan could not be reached for comment Monday.

Big O and Company had also been scheduled to play July 4 at Murphy’s Irish Pub & Restaurant in Sonoma, but that appearance has also been canceled, according to Murphy’s management.

A replacement for that appearance had yet to be scheduled as of Monday evening."

I didn’t have animal control number, not sure if I could call 911 for this. Looked like it’s been a week since it’s been here. I’m sorry if it belonged to someone. Looks well fed and taken care of.
EDIT: 16 min after posting, animal control just pulled up and is taking it away.